Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-01-21

church in Utah. It's friend, the
legislature of Utah, he said, would
not strangle it, but Congress must,
and fortunately Congress could
1t had the legal power under the
Constitution, and it had the means
at hand to exercise it.
Mr.. Taylor said, while this peo'
pie and this church defied the moral
sense of civilization and he was
heartily in favor of the main fea-
lures of this bill against them, he
was unalterably opposed to one of
its provisions-that abolishing fe-
male suffrage in the territory OF
Utah. He stood appalled, at the
first suggestion of taking the cleo
toral franchise from a considerable
class of people accustomed to its
use. Would the precedent here
made be invoked hereafter, and II
so, in what direction
Mr.. Game, the territorial delegate
who represents the Mormons in
Congress, defended his constit-
uents with great earnestness, and
his speech commanded close atten-
ton from the floor as well as from
the galleries. He said that the
Mormons, although they had sui
fered indignities, insults, ostracism,
aud SANDER for years, had made
the desert to blossom like garden
of flowers. lie spoke Of their piety
and thrift, and pledged his word
aud his character, that the charges
and the statements upon which
this legislation was based were
without foundation in fact. Nor
monism, he held, would be swept
away by the progress of events il
God in his wisdom had so appoint
ed.
Mr.. Bennett, of North Carolina,
who was opposed to this legislation,
and Messrs COsweel, of Wis, Tuck
er of Va, and Reed of Maine, who
favored it, we're the other speakers.
Mr.. Reed was disposed to think
the wisest course would be for Con-
gress to take complete control of
Utah. And why that territory
Because body of religionists there
had taken possession of property
belonging to the United States. 1t
was not only body Of religionists,
it was a people that bad a polity.
That was the keynote Of the situa-
ton. They intended to people
that territory exclusively with
Mormons, and to segregate to
themselves a portion Of tho prop
erty of the United States. Con-
gress was to-day roofing out an un'
Just possession of the soil that
belonged to the people. Mr.. Reed
thought it was useless to call this
bill an assault upon a religion.
Polygamy was one of the nantes
tations ofa bad condition of society
in Utah.
Mr.. Tucker, of Va, also contend
ed that the territory of the United
States did not belong to the first
little squad of men who settled on
it and said, eve are monarchs of
all we survey" 1t was the duty
of Congress to say it should not be
monOpOlized by any class of men
or by any church. He would vote
against the bill if he thought there
was one thing in 1t that trenched
upon the conscience even of a Nor
mon. Mr.. Tucker, who was fire.
quently applauded, had a good
deal to say about the nucleus OF a
nation being in the homes of its
people. He thanked God there
were still plenty of homes where
one man and one woman loved each
other supremacy. That was the
foundation Of the body polite.
Without it there wOald not be a
Christian state fit to iRhabit. In
Utah, the heart of the husband vas
diffused among a number. That
was the basis of a civilization that
vent out 1000 years ago.
Representative Libbey, of Vir-
ginia, introduced a bill in the
House Monday granting pensions
to the dependent relatives of the
members of thu life saving service
who lost their lives ia the attempt
to save the crew of the Elizabeth,
lost on the Virginia beach, January
9Th.
Congress still has its hands full
Of private pension legislation, in
Guiding provisions for the support
of surviving relatives OF patriots
distinguished in military life. Thus
far, however, no date has been set
in either house for discussing a
bill for the relief of the families of
the llie-Savlng crew VINO, III tne
storm off Cape Hatteras the other
day, faced death without flinching
for the forlorn hope of rescuing a
party of shipwrecked sailors.
These men had no such incentive
as the soldier has upon the enemy.
There was none OF the dramatic
accessories Of battlefeld-no
glitter of steel in front, 80 martial
music in the rear to urge them on.
An army OfcOmrades was not there
TO bear triumphant witness to their
prOwess. There we're no general or
ders TO be published to the world
next morning, no report from the
field to mention their gallantry, no